It seems clear that Americans feel that health care is at a crisis point in the United States. Despite the fact that we spend over two to three times as much on health care as other industrialized countries, we continue to have a significant number of Americans who do not have access to health care, with the Uninsured in America estimated to be 17% of the population. We spend almost $7000 per person on health care, representing about 17% of the Gross Domestic Product of the United States, a far greater percentage than other developed countries. Even with the money we spend on health care, the health outcomes we achieve on key indicators are not at the top of the rankings of industrialized nations, with the U.S. ranking 10th for age-adjusted mortality and 13th for infant mortality overall.
Health care providers in the U.S. are among the best, if not the best in the world at treating serious illness, severe injuries, and diagnosing complex medical problems. Most of the innovations in developing new therapies, technologies and drugs come from the United States. However, Americans are increasingly worried about whether they will continue to have access to the health care they need. More and more employers are not providing health insurance coverage for their employees, and even employers who offer coverage are shifting some of the costs to their workers. Individuals and families who are not covered by employers have a difficult time purchasing private insurance because it is so expensive, and going without insurance for any amount of time can result in worse health outcomes and difficult financial situations.
Additionally, the federal Medicare program for seniors will face serious challenges as the baby boomers enter retirement age and become eligible for health benefits. There are so many people who will be eligible for Medicare over the next 25 years that there is no way the system, as currently designed, will be able to afford covering them all and the federal government will face critical financial pressures unless some type of Medicare reform is enacted.
Attempts to implement changes in our health care system have been tried in the past, yet the health care system remains basically unchanged over the past few decades. Changes in the system to address the challenges of cost, quality and access will require leadership at virtually every level of government, including the federal level. It is critical for voters to understand the health care plans and proposals of the leading Presidential candidates so they can take their views into consideration when they cast their vote in November of 2008. The purpose of Presidential RX, a service of the Health Care Solutions Group, is to provide voters with understandable information they can use as they make their decision in this election.
The Health Care Solutions Group is a non-partisan health institute focused on supporting improvement in the health care system. This site will provide health care reform plan information proposed by the presidential candidates and will include analysis, related news, commentary from health policy experts and additional voter resources.